CPU 100% and sporadic when I open any browser

Hello.

When I have no programs open, the CPU usage is fine. But right when I click on any Internet browser (be it Firefox, Opera, or IE) the CPU shoots up to 100% and then becomes sporadic going from 25% -> 65% -> 90% -> 100%. And of course the browsers are slow. What could cause this?

 

Do you have add-ons running in the browsers? Try disabling or even uninstalling them.

 

Hi mdonah. Thanks for that suggestion! I disabled an add-on and Firefox is faster now; however, my CPU is still sporadic and going up to 100%.

 

Open task manager and see if you can identify what's pegging your CPU in the processes tab. You may need to uninstall an application or applications.

 

The CPU is normal until I open any program or folder. Right when I click on a program or folder, the CPU spikes to the 60-100% range for a few seconds, then goes back to the normal 0-20% range.

Is it normal for CPU to increase for a few seconds when a program starts, then decrease back to normal?

 

That quick burst of CPU usage is quite normal, the faster the CPU is, the less obvious it becomes.

 

Phew! Thanks for letting me know that satrow! Feel a lot better now.

 

Hi my friend , go to Start - right click to Computer tab - General , what is your Operating System even the size of the Ram memory and processor which is installed in your machine ? :wave

 

Also, the clock speed for the CPU and RAM will vary as well.

 

eek:eek

Ok I fear I have worse problems than CPU usage. Last night I downloaded Avira and started a scan around 1AM. 9 hours later I wake up this morning and it's still scanning, the number was stuck on 77% but different files were still being scanned. I decided to stop the scanning and uninstall Avira with Revo Uninstaller. After a restart I go on Firefox and all my add-on extensions are gone! Do I have a severely stealthy rootkit? Have I been hacked?! I already did all the scans as advised by majorgeeks a few days ago and none of them found anything, so what could it be?

Hi falconattack , I have Windows XP Professional and 1GB RAM (my computer is crappy I know.)

 

You can clean your browser cache

http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser's-Cache

even go to Start - Run %temp% - ok to remove the temp files , in case some files doesn't remove you are able to use this tool

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/unlocker.html

to remove the files , also you must inform us about the specifications of your computer , you can download this

http://majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

go to

from the left side you must opt for menu
Summary ( wait 30 seconds until report is generated )
you have to select Report from bar menu
from sub menu Quick Report - Plain Text - opting for Desktop as saving location , follow this

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=86880

to attach the report , i am thinking you need more ram to work properly :wave

 

falconattack, system info is attached.

 

You can run this tool

http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/

then you can attach the report :wave

 

Sorry, I'm a little confused. Do you want me to post the results from the Crucial tool scan or post the Everest scan report again? The Crucial tool does not offer a report that I can attach, the System Specs are displayed on its webpage:


Your Dimension 1100 System Specs


Memory:
DDR PC3200

Memory Type: DDR PC3200, DDR (non-ECC)
Maximum Memory: 2GB
Currently Installed Memory: 1GB
Total Memory Slots: 2
Available Memory Slots: 0
512MB 512MB
DDR PC3200

 

You had to copy paste the link of the crucial's report , you need to replace your ram because there is two slots to your motherboard , on each slot 500 mb of ram is installed , you must remove them replacing with

http://www.amazon.com/Upgrade-Dimen...956526&sr=1-2&keywords=ddr+pc3200+ddr+non-ecc

even you can run this

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/hard_disk_sentinel.html

to give the health/performance of your hdd :wave